The Harlem Renaissance was an arts movement that occurred in the 1920s and 1930s in the New York City borough of Harlem. It was the result of a number of factors leading to an explosion of creativity that continues to be celebrated today.
One of the historical events that led to the Harlem Renaissance was the Great Migration. The Great Migration was the movement of formerly enslaved African Americans from the South to the North after the dissolution of the Civil War. African Americans arrived looking for economic opportunities and had a hope for a new start. Events such as World War I had increased production and manufacturing needs resulting in an abundance of job opportunities in large urban centers in the northern United States.3 One of the communities that many African Americans settled in to take advantage of these opportunities was Harlem.
A critical component of the Harlem Renaissance was identity. Alain Locke, a well-regarded philosopher, developed the idea of the New Negro. Locke’s new identity theory saw African Americans had embraced their own individuality rather than focusing on the reaction of one’s self to the outcomes of events like the Civil War and Reconstruction. In this space of self-dependence and self-respect, Locke felt art was sure to blossom.4 In embracing his own identity, Locke was also noted for having carried on same-sex relationships.5
Even in this age of new freedom, there was still a level of restraint, societal and personal, regarding queer people. Only Richard Bruce Nugent was an out gay man, while many other men who loved men and women who loved women didn’t embrace that identity in public. Their thoughts and feelings still came across in their work. Among these writers were Langston Hughes, Nella Larson, Claude McKay, and Countee Cullen. Performing artists such as Gladys Bentley and Jimmie Daniels were also popular queer figures during the Harlem Renaissance.6
Concurrently with the literary movement, the vibrant nightlife of Harlem allowed for other areas of the arts to flourish. With nightclubs popping up throughout the area, capitalism encouraged African American singers and performers to develop their talents. While other boroughs were under intense scrutiny because of Prohibition, the laisse faire policing of Harlem allowed for venues to serve alcohol without as much fear as their white counterparts. This also led to other unpatrolled vices which attracted people of all races to Harlem, which, again, led to economic prosperity for those in the region. With this acknowledged, it should be noted that much of the real estate in the area was under the control of white people living outside Harlem itself. This intersectionality cannot be ignored because while the artistic benefits were plentiful for African Americans, there was not always access to all of the business opportunities that the area was known for.7
In this space artistic expression and a new level of liberation, queer people were able to live more comfortably for a number of reasons, but still lived with fears. An emphasis on social gatherings brought together diverse groups of people. In order to pay landlords, rent parties were held to collect the funds needed to maintain housing. Often, economic opportunity would win out over social morality, if that was even a problem. Money was money no matter who it came from. Furthermore, salon style gatherings, like those held by Alexander Gumby and A’Leila Walker, also attracted, and welcomed, a large crowd of queer people. Additionally, the existence of buffet flats, spaces where rooms could be rented by the night, drew in large gay crowds as well.8
Other spaces in Harlem during the Renaissance welcomed people with less rigid gender presentation. Gender non-conforming performers were frequently seen at spaces such as Edmond’s Cellar. Harry Hansberry’s Clam House was the spot where the featured performer was Gladys Bentley, who would perform wearing a man’s tuxedo and top hat.9 Bentley was known to flirt with women in the audience while she sang her songs, which, included lyrics at times about the women she had been romantically involved. Bentley publicly married her white girlfriend in 1931 in a civil ceremony.10 Other spots such as the Hamilton Lodge were the home of Harlem costume balls “where both men and women dressed as they pleased and danced with whom the wished.”11 Welcoming spaces allowed a queer community to thrive.
Other social events had queer connections. For example, a significant social event of the Harlem Renaissance was the marriage of poet Countee Cullen to Yolanda DuBois. The wedding was described in many of the papers of the time, including many of the preparations leading up to the event. The bride and groom invited 1,200 guests (it is estimated 3,000 attended) to the affair at the Salem Methodist Episcopal Church in Harlem where Countee Cullen’s father was the pastor.12 On April 9, 1928, the two shared their vows. The bridal party consisted of eighteen attendants. Groom had nine members in his party, among them poet Langston Hughes.13 Hughes wrote about the event in his autobiography, The Big Sea, where he described the event between a discussion of singer Florence Mills’ funeral and a religious revival by the Reverend Dr. Becton, emphasizing the grandness of all three events.14 Ultimately the marriage was dissolved with rumors of the groom’s desire for the same gender.15
